Hocking College Energy Institute

Market

Education, Science & Technology

Size

12,500 Square Feet

Location

Logan, OH

Awards, Accreditations, & Recognition

Columbus Merit Award by The American Institute of Architects

This facility is the first LEED Platinum certified Higher Education building in the State of Ohio

The Hocking College Energy Institute (HCEI), a 12,500 SF classroom building, was designed to be the headquarters for Hocking College’s two-year degree program in sustainable technologies. Courses are taught in fuel cell technology and hybrid vehicle maintenance, as well as NABCEP certification, ground-source heat pump maintenance, and wind generator installation.

HCEI is LEED-Platinum certified. In order to meet the budget requirements, while achieving these demanding goals, the design team pursued several simple concepts:

Climate Responsive Design. The building is oriented east-west, with the majority of glazing on the north and south facades, where overhangs shield glazing from the summer sun. Operable windows allow natural ventilation in all regularly-occupied spaces; the classrooms are designed to promote stack-effect ventilation. The clerestory in the classrooms optimizes daylighting, minimizing the need for artificial illumination.

A Living Laboratory. All sustainable technology visible to the building’s occupants, and can be used as educational tools. Sustainable systems include geothermal ground-source heat pumps, a 21 kW photovoltaic array, a small solar thermal system, and a 2.4 kW wind generator.

Leading by Example. A building designed for the purpose of teaching sustainability should pursue an equally high level of performance. Consequently, the design team pursued, and successfully earned, LEED-Platinum certification. The HCEI is the first building in the state to be certified as LEED Platinum.

DesignGroup participated in our discussion sessions and, over time, became valuable partners in the overall project effort, well beyond merely being the architects.

Jerrold Hutton Past Dean, Hocking College

Healthcare, Education

A New Way to Pay For Sustainable Building Design

Making a building more “green” is always our goal — but sustainable features can add expense to the project. Enter the Green Revolving Fund, an exciting new way to make the numbers work.